Coffee Shop Love
by elsannaftw
Summary: Oh no, this poor, unlucky soul is about to get a terrible berating just because of a mistake. Though I know it was more than likely an accident I feel the anger pool inside me and I ball up my fists ready to turn and snap at the killer of my day. Whoa. I find myself staring into bright teal eyes.
1. Chapter 1

_Oh I needed this_. I think to myself as I take my first sip of my weekly coffee. I was such a caffeine addict that had to cut myself down before I gave myself an ulcer or something. As the sweet, chocolaty taste of my café mocha washes over my tongue I feel relief once again as I make my way out of the door of the coffee shop to head to my class.

Its Friday and the air is still cool as we near the end of winter; just a cool bite to the wind enough to make you want to curl up somewhere warm. I shiver as a cool breeze blows through my hair and take another sip of warm coffee.

As I stroll down the sidewalk I pull out my phone and check the time. _Wow, why am I always so early to class?_ That's when it happens.

Someone bumps into me hard and, staring down at my phone the way I was, I never saw it coming. I watched as my precious cup of chocolate-flavored caffeinated bliss explodes across the concrete. _Oh no, this poor, unlucky soul is about to get a terrible berating just because of a mistake._ Though I know it was more than likely an accident I feel the anger pool inside me and I ball up my fists ready to turn and snap at the killer of my day.

 _Whoa_. I find myself staring into bright teal eyes, widened in surprise, and surrounded by stunning red hair pulled into twin braids. I stand there for a moment, fists balled up and jaw hanging slack, until she speaks first.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry! I was rushing to class, and I wasn't looking up so I didn't even see you.. and then I hit your coffee and now it's everywhere. It didn't burn you did it? I am so, so sorry. Are you ok?" her words come less as sentences and more as one really long, disconnected speech. I struggle for a moment to find words for myself but am now reminded of my missing coffee. I look down at it as its soaking into the concrete and almost feel tears welling up. _This is just par for the week._

Her hand is on my shoulder, "hey, let me buy you a new one to make up for it?" she says, her eyes full of concern. "but.. your class." I manage to squeak out. _God those eyes_. "nah I'm pretty late already anyways. Besides, can't really leave you here crying about your coffee," she finishes with a small smile. My face turns bright red. _Damn, I hoped she wouldn't notice that_. "c'mon," she says and begins walking towards the coffee shop. I stare after her for a second before jogging up behind her. She holds the door open for me, a blast of warm air and the smell of coffee greets us. I follow her up to the counter.

"what are you having?" the barista asks us. "I'll have a café mocha with extra chocolate" she says excitedly. She looks over to me with a smile, "your turn." "I'll have the same please," I say with a small smile. _Why do I suddenly feel so embarrassed with this girl here? Wait. What is her name?_ "and a name for the order?" the conveniently-timed barista asks. "Anna," the red-head responds. Anna swipes her card and thanks the girl at the counter.

Anna leads me over to a table for two in front of the large front window of the shop and plops herself down into a chair. I sit down and she gives me a simple, but stunning, smile. "Thank you Anna," I say, attempting to make my smile match hers. "you're very welco-" she stops short. "um, sorry what's your name?" she asks, a slight blush coloring her face, highlighting he freckles. "E-Elsa," I manage. "That's a very pretty name," she says with a smile, "you're very welcome Elsa." Something about the way she says my name makes a small shiver shoot up my spine. _Why does this girl make me feel so damn bashful?_

"So do you really love coffee or was there something else wrong?" she asks bluntly, eyes full of concern. Just then the barista calls her name, thoroughly distracting her. She jumps up, retrieves our coffees and returns to the table, sliding mine over to me. I take a sip and smile. _Even better than the first._ I look up and see that Anna is watching me. She smiles and I blush. "glad you like it," she says, looking out the window towards the spot where my other cup has dried into the floor, "hope it makes up for that one." I smile at her as she stares out the window. _This girl is beautiful. Her red hair is bright in comparison to her skin which is a healthy color and spattered with freckles. And her eyes. They're so bright, beautiful, and full of life. And they're looking at me. Wait, what?_ I realize Anna is staring right back into my eyes. I turn a bright shade of pink, feeling embarrassed and I quickly glance away.

"I hope you were thinking good things about me," she says softly, deepening my blush. "S-Sorry,' I sputter. "so what's your major?" she asks. "I'm just trying for a business degree," I say lamely, "you?"

She turns to look out of the window. "I'm still undeclared. I have no idea what I really want to do with my life." She says, clearly deep in thought and looking a little reminiscent of a music video with the way she is staring out the window. _Is this girl even real? She has to be a figment of my imagination._ She shook her head and turned back to me, "sorry, kinda spaced out there." When I looked back into her eyes, they almost seemed a different color. They were darker, sadder, and a little scared. She smiled, causing me to break from my train of thought. "you're staring again," she said quietly. I opened my mouth to voice my worry, but my brain was not working. _She makes me flustered so easily._ I took a long sip of my coffee and looked away.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, "I have a habit of doing all the talking and rambling on forever." She was staring down at her hands, clasping and unclasping her fingers, a frown on her face. _No, I didn't mean to hurt you._ My hand reached out of its own accord and grabbed hers. "N-no." I stuttered feebly. "I know I'm really quiet, but sitting here with you has been really nice." I offered a small smile.

She looked up at me, tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. A small noise escaped her throat as her tears began to boil over. She gripped onto my hand and I gave a reassuring squeeze back. Anna pulled a hand away and wiped her arm across her nose. "S-sorry," she said between sniffles, "this week has really sucked."

I opened my mouth to ask about it, but decided against it. _Surely she doesn't want to share her personal info with a total stranger._

"I just got kicked out yesterday." She said out of the blue, nearly starting a new round of sobs. I stared at her surprised. "My boyfriend Hans said he found someone else, and wanted me out. I didn't really have much stuff so I just made a bag and left." Tears still came, but she sat silent, still holding on to my hand. "My best friend let me crash at his place yesterday, but his girlfriend doesn't want me staying there," a soft sniffle interrupted her sentence, "and I still have no idea where I am going to go tonight.

She stood up abruptly. "sorry, I didn't mean to dump all this on you, im not your problem and sorry for making it seem like it. Nice meeting you, bye," she spewed her words out faster than I could process. She turned to leave, stepping towards the door. I forgot she was still clutching onto my hand and didn't notice until she tugged on it in the process of walking away.

 _I have an extra bedroom you can stay in._ She turned around a glared at me, surprised. _Oh god did I say that out loud?_ "Really?" she asked, eyes and voice full of hope, and verging on happiness. _Good luck saying no to that face. Geez Elsa, all it took was one glance of those eyes and she's had you wrapped around your finger._

"um, well I mean.." _come on Elsa, use your words,_ "my parents are letting me use the house they own here, it's not very big but it's got a second bedroom." She smiled broadly, "how much is rent?" "Well, I don't pay anything so.. nothing?" I said. "A-are you sure?" she said with a small stutter, "I mean, I'm a total stranger, why would you help me?" _cause you're beautiful and don't want you to cry._ "I think you would do the same for me." I said, giving my most convincing smile. "After all, you saved me from crying and replaced my coffee." "buying a coffee and offering a place to live are pretty different Els. Sorry, Elsa." She laughed brightly, her happy tone back into her voice.

"When can I move in?" she asked. "T-tonight if you'd like," I said. _Wait, when did I last clean?_ "deal!" she leaned down and hugged me hard . "thank you." She sniffles to me. _Is it possible for someone to smell as wonderful as they look? Because she is definitely doing it._ She opened her bag and pulled out a small chunk of paper. "do you have a pen?" she asks, digging through her bag, her search proving fruitless. I slid her mine and she scribbled on it, folded it up, and slid it over to me. "that's my number, make sure you don't lose it," she says, smiling at me, "I don't imagine that park benches are very comfortable."

She grabs up her "well I can't miss both of my classes today," she said turning towards the door, "I'll see you tonight!" She ran off before I could say anything else. I stared off after her, recapping this morning's events in my head.

 _What did I just get myself into?_


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, see you soon!" Anna nearly shouted through the phone. _She's definitely peppy, that's for sure_.

After our meeting this morning I had gone home and started cleaning furiously. My former childhood home had become my dorm room. The pizza boxes and soda cans piling up from my attempts to live on my own needed to be cleared.

I took my time putting clean sheets on the bed in the spare room. I tidied up the shared bathroom, putting all of my junk I had been leaving on the counter away. _How did I end up here? I barely talk to people, much less offer them a home. What's up with you Elsa?_ Just then my phone buzzed, snapping out of my daze.

"Hey Elsa," it was a text from Anna, "I missed my bus -_- going to take me awhile to get there. Sorry to make u wait." I shot her a text back quickly.

"no worries. Do you need a ride?" I glanced up at the window. _It's getting dark_. I slid my phone back into my pocket and continued working on scrubbing off the counters. A few minutes passed before my phone began to ring. I pulled it out from my pocket, Anna's name glowing on the screen. "Hey, what's up?" I asked.

Her voice was soft, very different tan her text sounded earlier. "I.. I could use that ride if you're still willing." The way her voice shook when she spoke worried me. "

Where are you at?" I asked, the concern heavy in my voice. There was the sound of a door slamming in the background.

"I've got to go," she said hurriedly, "I'll text you the address."

Before I could protest, she had hung up. I threw on my shoes and snatched my car keys off of the rack by the door. I hopped in my grey Kia Soul and entered the address she texted me onto my GPS and began to follow the line. Thankfully, she was only a couple miles away so the drive was short.

As I rounded the corner I saw her instantly, her red hair a beacon. She was seated on the curb, clothes scattered all around her in the grass of the front yard. I pulled up to the curb and hopped out, hurrying up to her. She looked up at me, her eyes red from crying.

"Anna?" I said quietly, unsure of what to say. All she was able to offer me was a small wave, clearly unable to speak. "Are all of these yours?" I asked. I threw a glance toward all the clothes littering the front yard before looking back at her. She gave me a small nod.

"The car is unlocked; why don't you go get in while I gather all of these." I began gathering all of the clothes that were scattered around. She stayed where she was, still seated on the curb. "Is this your boyfri- sorry... Ex-boyfriends house?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said, her voice even softer than it was on the phone. _Well she's talking at least._ I walked the mound of clothes I had gathered and dropped them in the back seat of my car. I opened up the front passenger side door and looked at her.

"c'mon," I said, offering her a small smile, "let's get out of here." She climbed into the car and I softly closed the door. I walked around the front of the car and lowered myself into the driver seat. I pulled away from the curb and headed off towards home. "did you wanna grab some food?" I asked while trying to glance at her out of the corner of my eye. Again another nod.

"what sounds good?" I asked.

"whatever you'd like," she said quietly. _God what did he do? I didn't think she could be this quiet._

As I pulled up to a red light I saw a Nimarcos on the corner and quickly turned into the parking lot. I looked over at her, "this place has the best pizza." I got out of the car and walked up to open the door. We ordered two slices each plus drinks and a salad to share.

"That'll be $22.67." The cashier said, glancing at me. I reached back to my back pocket, but it wasn't there. I checked the other but couldn't find it. Then I felt a nudge. Anna was holding my wallet out to me.

"It fell in your seat." She offered quietly.

I pulled out my card and paid, grabbing the number sign and heading to a table; Anna close behind. Once we got settled at our table, I grabbed the cups and stood back up. "what do you want to drink?" I asked, prying the cups apart.

"just water please," Anna answered, "with a lemon, if they have any." A small smile graced her lips, sparking a smile on mine.

 _She seems to be feeling somewhat better._ I filled both cups with ice and then squeezed a lemon into both cups. I filled hers with water and then mine with tea. I wrinkled my nose as I took a small sip of my drink. _Needs sugar, this tea tastes fake._ I grabbed a packet of sweet n low and headed back to the table.

I slid her cup in front of her and handed her a straw from the dispenser on the table.

"Thank you," she said, tearing her straw from the paper and dropping it in her drink, "sorry I've been kinda spacing out on you."

"it's ok, you seemed a little scared so I didn't want to push you," I said honestly.

"I stopped by to get my clothes, and he was very rude." She said, an irritated look flashing across her face. "probably shouldn't have punched him... but the look on his face was worth it."

"You punched him? Like… in the face?" I stared at her appalled.

She smirked and began to speak before a waitress slid our plates down in front of us.

"two slices of pepperoni for you," she slid a plate to Anna, "and two slices of the Popeye for you." She smiled as she got the order right. "anything else you two need?"

I smiled and shook my head. "No thank you."

"ok!" she said with a smile, "enjoy your meal you two." She smiled slightly as she walked away from the table. _What was that all about?_

"She thinks were dating." Anna said, pretty much reading my mind.

I glanced quickly to Anna and then back at the waitress who shot a wink at the both of us.

"You ok Elsa? You're looking pretty red." Anna said.

 _Why would the waitress think that? Well, I guess we are eating dinner, alone, that I paid entirely for and drove her to. But that doesn't mean it's a date._ My thoughts were interrupted by a hand waving in front of my face.

"Earth to Elsa," Anna was staring at me.

"uh… What? Sorry I spaced this time." I gave a shy smile, still feeling my face burning.

"don't worry," she gave me a small smile, "it's not a date." Her smile got a little bigger and a little more mischievous. "well, unless you want it to be." She finished her statement with a wink.

 _And my face is flushed again. I'm such a prude._ I looked away, embarrassed.

She placed her hand on mine. "Sorry," she said, her assuring smile lopsided, "I won't joke about that anymore."

I cleared my throat and swiftly took a bite of my pizza, content to drop the topic. I glance up at Anna's plate to find that she is finished with an entire slice, and scooping herself some salad. We eat in silence for a few minutes.

"So how big is your place?" Anna breaks the longstanding silence.

"Well its one story but has 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms. The backyard is a little small but the inside is renovated so it is pretty nice." I said, covering my mouth as to not show my food.

"And your parents aren't there? Why's that?" she asks, her eyebrow quirking up.

"well my dad moved for his job but I had already started school. So I've been living here. I stay in my old room and leave the Master open for when my parents visit." _Uh oh_ , _"_ I forgot to tell you, my bedroom and yours share a bathroom, is that ok?"

Anna smiled broadly at me, but then seemed to rein herself in. "yeah that's fine! It feels nice to hear that it's my room. So when to I get to see it?"

I noticed that the sun had completely set and it was now dark outside. I glance at my watch. "Crap, when did it get so late? Let me grab a box and we can head out."

Anna giggled a little at how flustered I am making me smile at the sound. _Your so whipped_. I grabbed a box and quickly loaded my one slice and the rest of the salad into the box. I patted my pockets. _Keys, wallet, phone. Not forgetting anything this time_. "Come on," I said to Anna smiling, "Let's go home, er, I mean to my home."

She gave a small smile, seeming troubled. "Okay."

Author's note:

*Thanks to those of you that read my first part! Honestly I was really trying to see if anyone would have an interest in my writing. I'm sure you could tell it's my first attempt so thank you for your constructive criticism and not ripping me to shreds. Im still trying to work together an overall plot and endgame but I can already tell this will be something I want to continue. Feel free to let me know what is good and what could be better!*


	3. Chapter 3

"Wow," Anna said, her mouth opening wide, exaggerating the O, as she saw the house. "You have this place to yourself?" she looked at me excitedly.

I pulled the car into the driveway and dropped in park. "Yeah," I smiled back at her, "this is home." She hopped out excitedly and stepped up to the door, placing her hand on the brick. I climb out and walk up to her. "Are you ok?"

She turns back to me a little teary eyed. "Sorry," she muttered softly, "It looks like my old home."

I put my hand on her shoulder. "c'mon, let's get you inside and settled in." I did my best to offer her a reassuring smile. I press the lock button on my car and flip to my house key. I unlock the front door and step in, kicking off my shoes by the door. She followed me in, kicking off her Converse next to mine. _I like her style._

She sauntered into the kitchen. The white quartz counters a good contrast to the teal backsplash and grey cabinets. The dark wood floor was here in the kitchen and throughout the rest of the house. "This is really nice!" she said, spinning around with a big smile on her face.

"I'm glad you like it." I say softly. _I'm glad you seem to be feeling better._ "Do you wanna see your room?"

"lead the way," she smiles at me again.

We walk through the living room to the long hallway at the end of the hallway is the master and on the left is two doors; the first to my room and the second to hers. "This one here is yours," I open up the door and wave her in. she steps in and begins to take in the room. The room is white, with a queen bed underneath a large window, a bedside table on both sides. An old, mahogany dresser decorates the far wall, the door to the closet sitting beside it. She steps over to the closet and pulls the door open, stepping in to the small walk in closet. She comes back out, the same smile plastered on her face.

"Elsa, this is awesome!" she starts to reach to hug me, but must sense the tension that washes over me and just rests her hand on my shoulder.

I smile at her, distracted by her hand on my shoulder, and the hug I just missed. _Why am I so aware of her proximity all the time?_

"Where is your room?" she says, taking her hand away.

"um, through the bathroom," I point to the door on the left side of the room.

She pushed open to find a quite spacious bathroom, with a door at the far side of it. She stepped across the grey tile and admired the his and hers style vanity that covered the right wall, and the standalone shower and large tub that took up the other wall. Her silent wow was nearly audible from the surprise on her face. "This is awesome!" she bounded over to my door but stopped short of grabbing the handle. "I don't want to intrude," she says sheepishly.

I smile and walk over to open the door for you. "don't worry, I cleaned everything just in case." I pushed the door open and waved her in. My bed sat center against the far wall, the door to the hallway to our left. My large dresser sat against the far wall, underneath a large window. I glance at the door to my closet in the left corner of the room. _I hope she doesn't open it and find all the stuff I didn't have a place for_. She smiled at video game posters that adorned the walls.

"I wouldn't have taken you for a fan of Overwatch," she smiled at me.

"It's a game with a little bit for everyone." I smiled back.

"A woman of many secrets miss Elsa?" she raised an eyebrow, challenging me.

 _I could show you some secrets. Wait, did I just think that?_ Mercifully, she broke the silence with a soft chuckle.

"I keep forgetting we've only known each other for about 16 hours," she glanced down at her hands, "We don't know anything about each other."

 _Alright Elsa, act like a regular human being and say something nice._ "I think we learned a lot about each other this morning." _There, that didn't come out as mush, good job!_

"Like that you cry about spilled coffee," she watched as I blushed softly, "and that I make you pretty nervous." She stepped closer to me and my face flushed brightly, my breath catching in my throat a little. She giggled again. "I'm kidding," she said with a laugh and a step back.

I took a deep breath and let out a little laugh. _Good lord, this girl is going to kill me._ "I'll go get your stuff, why don't you get settled in?"

"sure!" she walks into the bathroom and shuts the door behind her. Before I could even turn the door cracks open again and her voice comes from the small crack in the door. "Elsa?"

"Yeah?" I look at the door and see only a sliver of her face.

"Thank you." Her voice is soft, and very sincere.

I smile, "You're very welcome Anna." She shuts the door and I head out to the hallway. I walk to my car and pull her clothes from the back seat, bumping the door closed with my leg, then head inside to the laundry room that is off the garage. I drop the pile on the floor and begin to sort it in with my clothes so I can wash them. As I un-ball a pair of her jeans a small note falls out onto the floor. I pick it up and glance at it.

"You owe me. You have one month."

-H

 _What has she gotten into?_ I tossed the not into the trash and continued loading the washer.


	4. Chapter 4

I packed in a load of laundry and headed back to my room, sprawling out on my back across my bed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _Today has been a long day._ I agreed with myself and sighed again.I could hear Anna opening and closing what seemed like every drawer in her room and the closet door before finally quieting down. I smiled to myself. _This girl is ridiculous... And I like that apparently._ I laughed quietly. Suddenly, I could hear her open the bathroom door from her room. She pulled back the curtain of the shower.

"Crap," her muffled voice came from the other side of the door, then a soft knock on my door followed. "Elsa?"

"What's up?" I answered.

She pushes the door open slowly and peeks through at me. "So I kinda forgot to bring the basics... Soap, shampoo, toothbrush, all that jazz." She trailed off at the end, not finishing her sentence.

"Do you want to run to the store really quick?" I smiled at her through the crack in the door. "There's a Walmart down the road we can run to."

She nodded and retreated into the bedroom, then yelled at me through the door. "Let me get re-dressed really quick and then I'll meet you in the living room."

I blushed brightly at the realization that she must have been undressed when she opened the door. _Geez Elsa, bashful as ever._ I shook my head and then headed out into the hall, towards the living room. I slip my shoes on and plop down on the couch, laying my head back and closing my eyes. It's not long before I hear soft footfalls headed towards me. I opened my eyes to see Anna standing over me. Her face went from a sweet smile to surprise; her eyes bright as ever.

"Uh sorry, I-I thought you were asleep." She blushed and looked away. "Was not intending to stare at you, sorry."

I laughed loudly. "It's ok. Though I though we found in the coffee shop this morning that I'm the one who is prone to staring." I laugh and sit up, popping up to my feet.

"Well yeah, but yours is good staring, not weirdo staring like mine." She said, surprisingly bashful.

"Good staring?" I threw a questioning glance her way.

She looked down at her feet. "I'm gonna shut up before I say anything else to embarrass myself."

I smiled at her. _This is a new one. Embarrassed Anna. I would love to see more of that._ "C'mon," I break the silence, "let's get to the store before it gets too late." We step out of the front door and I lock it, pressing a button on my fob, unlocking the car. I plopped down into the front seat as Anna clicked closed her seatbelt.

"The radio is yours to command" I stated jokingly, putting the car into gear and backing out of the driveway.

She pressed the power button and the radio clicked to life. Soft piano music filled the car and she turned to smile at me. "For some reason I figured this is what you would like." At my blush, she started to click through the presets. The next greeted her a little loudly, the local rock station. Megadeth's distinctive sound blaring through the speakers. She clicked through my eccentric music selection before settling back on the classical station.

"A fan of Debussy?" I ask.

"You seemed like you wanted to stick with this." She smiles at me again. "Do you play? I saw the upright in the living room."

"It's been awhile since I've practiced, that's why it's been accumulating dust." I glanced over at her. She's beaming at me, obviously excited about my possible playing ability. "I'm not even sure if it's in tune."

"You should play for me some time," She stated, grinning from ear to ear.

 _Like I could say no to that face._ "I-I guess I could." The smile that graced her face was almost as loud as she usually is. I pulled into the parking lot and found a spot mercifully close to the front doors. We hopped out of the car and strolled up through the doors. The blast of warm air from the door hit us.

We strolled through the aisles, grabbing tooth paste, shampoo, deodorant. Everything you could need to live somewhere.

Anna checked her imaginary list and then said, "That should be everything!"

I looked at the cart which was surprisingly full. "Do you have enough to cover all of this?" my eyes widened as my brain caught up with my mouth. "Sorry, that was rude."

She smiled at me, "no worries. I should have enough left. Well, if I don't on my debit, my credit card should handle it."

We chose a lane that had the shortest line and soon were unloading the cart onto the belt. I stood back and let Anna handle her business with the cashier. They exchanged a bit of small talk which I largely ignored until the word "girlfriend" popped out at me. I glanced up in time to see the cashier, and she quickly looked away, and back at Anna. Anna shook her head no and then the cashier raised an eyebrow. I glanced back down and went back to ignoring the conversation.

"uh, sorry, hold on." Anna slid her debit card back in her wallet and pulled out her credit card that had reindeer printed on the front. "Hopefully this one isn't maxed out too." She joked.

"How much is it?" I butted in and asked.

"$63.67." the cashier stated.

I pulled out my AmEx card and slid it into the chip reader. Anna opened her mouth to protest but the machine beeped loudly before the words left her mouth. I grabbed my card and slid it into my wallet. The cashier smiled at me and handed me the receipt with one hand while crumpling up a post-it with a phone number on it with her other hand.

"So sweet," she said before leaning in and adding quietly, "You'll make her very happy." She added a wink.

 _Why do people keep doing that?!_ I wished I could hide the blush that had started on my face. "T-thanks." I stuttered at her. I pushed the receipt into my pocket and then reached to grab a bag from the rack without looking. Rather than something cold and plastic, I felt something warm and very soft. I glanced over to see I had grabbed a hold of Anna's hand, and she was looking at me, surprised.

I blushed brightly and pulled my hand back, the fuzzy feeling started to fade. "Uh, s-s-sorry." I stammered out through my embarrassment carefully grabbing a bag and turning towards the exit. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Anna smile at me and then wave goodbye to the cashier.

"Good luck!" The cashier shouted after us.

 _God why are people out to embarrass me?!_ Anna caught up to me and nudged me with her elbow.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked.

"Er… Yeah I'm fine." I glance away, still not fully recovered from my embarrassment. I pop the back hatch of my car with my keys and slide the bag I was carrying into the back. Anna drops hers in right after me and turns to me. I look her way, but she wraps me in a hug first.

Part of me wants to be embarrassed again, but this is a little different. She hugs me tight, in a way that makes me feel happy.

"Thank you," she says softly, a little sniffle following her heartfelt gratitude. I hug her back, tightly. _You don't have to fear the way you feel Elsa._ I smile to myself, holding the embrace probably longer than is normal of two people who just met today, before breaking it.

"C'mon," I state with a smile, "Let's get you home."

She wipes her eyes quick with a sniffle. "Yeah," She starts, smiling back at me, "let's go home."

Author's Note

*Thank you all who are reading and actually checking back on my story! Writing has proved to be a lot of fun and I really want to carry this all the way through. Please comment if you have any suggestions or constructive criticism!*


	5. Chapter 5

We pulled into the driveway, hopping out and grabbing all the bags. My poor hearts still a bit flustered from my little freak out at the store. _Seriously Elsa, why are you getting so bent out of shape over this girl?_ Anna had started walking up the driveway when she dropped a bag. She bent over facing directly away from me. _Does this girl know what she's doing to me? It's just not fair!_ I shook off my blush and followed up the driveway after her.

I unlocked the door and dropped the bag on the couch before walking back to the door to take off my shoes; Anna following suit.

Anna snatched up the bags and headed towards her room. "I'm gonna take a shower!" she shouted back at me.

"Ok," I smiled after her. I let out a yawn as I walked down the hall to the laundry room. I grabbed the laundry from the washer and swapped it over into the dryer next to it, tossing in a dryer sheet and getting it started. Wandering tiredly back to my room I knocked on the bathroom door. "Anna?" I asked loudly, trying to talk over the sound of the shower.

"Yeah?" She yelled back.

"I'm feeling pretty tired! I'm gonna crash." I lean against the door, to help me hear her response.

Suddenly the door gets jerked back slightly, making me jump and stumble backwards, falling onto my butt. Anna's head pops up in the crack of the door, hair drenched and slightly darker from the water. "Are you ok?" she asks, a bit concerned by my clearly surprised expression.

"Uh, yeah sorry," I stumbled, keeping my eyes up at her face, resisting the urge to look down where her hip was slightly exposed, "I just wasn't expecting you to open the door."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" she laughed, "I just wanted to thank you again sincerely." She flashed a sweet, sincere smile at me through the crack in the door.

"Y-yeah," I smiled back at her. _Eyes up Elsa._ "No problem!"

She giggled a little at me but followed with. "Goodnight, and sleep well. I'm glad tomorrow is Saturday! We can sleep in!"

"Goodnight," I said softly back at her.

She smiled and turned away towards the shower as she closed the door; a flash of the pale, freckled skin of her side appearing in the doorway briefly. A dark blush covered my face. I laid down backwards onto the floor and stared at the ceiling. _Can I survive this girl? I swear she is teasing me, but she seems like these may just be accidents._ I shook my head and cleared the thought, but couldn't clear the image of her pale skin with a spattering of light freckles. I sighed loudly. "I'm not going to sleep much tonight am I?" I asked out loud to myself, before continuing to stare at the ceiling.

The next day

I woke up to the light peering through my partially open blinds, I pushed the covers off of me and sat up. _I guess I made it into bed at some point last night. Never changed though._ I let out a loud yawn and swung my legs out of bed, putting my feet on the cold wood flooring. Walking towards the bathroom door I pulled off my shirt and tossed it into my clothes basket into the corner. Checking the mirror I looked at the damage of not getting ready for bed last night. Makeup smeared and my braid a mess. _At least it's Saturday and I don't have to see anyone._

I hastily removed the hair tie from my braid and wove my fingers through it, undoing it and trying to unstick the three clumps of hair. I walked over to anna's door and locked it, not wanting her to walk in on me. I reached behind me and unclasped my bra, setting it on the counter. I unbuttoned my pants, but before I could pull them down the sound of a toilet flushing made me whip around, hands shooting to my chest to cover myself. Anna came stepping out of the small room that held the toilet and looked up at me through sleepy eyes. She eyed me up and down while I sat in silence, unsure of what to say. She seemed to come to a realization that what she was seeing wasn't a tired hallucination and had actually walked in on me while I was undressing.

A hand shot up to cover her eyes and she stepped quickly over to the door, twisting and tugging at the handle, unable to open it, repeating "sorry" over and over as she fumbled with the doorknob.

"Lock," I managed to squeak out.

She turned the lock and opened the door, hurrying into her room and shutting the door behind her. I stood still for a minute before shaking off the shock before hurrying to the door and re-locking it.

I sighed and started a shower. _Living with this girl is going to kill me._ I removed what remained of my clothing and stepped into the shower once it had warmed up. I let the warm water run over me and let out another long sigh. Images of anna flashing through my head. Her surprised face when she saw me, the freckles on her pale skin, her look of sadness when she told me about her parents. _Admit it Elsa, you care for this girl more than you let on._ I was right of course. I couldn't admit it out loud, but for some reason I really cared what happened with this girl. _Of course, you do, you invited her to live with her the same day you met her._ She just seemed so sweet and kind and a little quirky. Like someone I really could like. I took longer than normal in the shower, trying to vent off all my thoughts before getting out.

I peeked out of the shower to be sure before stepping out and grabbing my towel. I wrapped it around me tightly and grabbed my brush. Running it through my wet hair, the brush met minimal resistance. I left it over down over my shoulders and gathered up my clothes, bra off the counter, pants off the floor, before heading back into my room. I pulled the bra on, clipping it behind me and adjusting it, before throwing the dirty clothes over into the clothes basket. I grabbed an outfit out of the dresser and pulled it on.

I hung my towel back on the towel rack in the bathroom before heading out into the hallway. I walked down to Anna's door and knocked.

"Anna, are you there?" I asked, leaning towards the door, trying to hear her response.

Instead the door knob turned and she peeked at me through the crack. "Sorry," she said immediately to me. I smiled at her and began to giggle at how guilty and embarrassed she looked. She widened the crack in the door slightly. "What's so funny?" she asked, seeming truly confused.

"Anna," I started, "It was an accident, so it is okay. I know you didn't purposely walk in on me, I should have checked to make sure that you were not in there before I started. Forgive me?" This time she opened the crack all the way so that I could see her fully, still wearing the basketball shorts and t-shirt that I was too distracted to notice earlier.

"I embarrassed us both and looked like an idiot who couldn't open a door, and you're asking for forgiveness?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes?" I responded.

"Well, as long as you won't do it again, I will forgive you," She says, shooting a bright smile at me.

I held up my index, middle, and ring finger. "I promise, Scouts honor." I smiled back at her.

"So what should we do today?" she asked.

"Well," I thought for a second, "I don't know." I looked back at her, unsure. "I'm not used to having anyone to hang out with. I usually just sit inside and finish homework or read or something." She smiled at me, a little sadly. "What do you normally do?" I asked.

"umm, well I don't usually do much either." She laughed. "We could go to the mall or something? Just shop around or whatever."

"Sure! That could be fun." I said. It did sound fun. That was a thing that people did for fun.

"Great!" she exclaimed, turning back into her room. "Let me get ready and I'll meet you in the living room!" she shouted over her shoulder.

I turned away and shouted back to her as I walked down the hall, "Don't forget to close the door!" At that, I heard her door shut and I smiled to myself. Stepping into the kitchen, I felt my stomach grumble, and noticed it was already 11am. "Been awhile since I slept in," I said out loud.

I twisted the knob on the stove to start the gas and then held down the starter until the gas caught. I stretched, then grabbed a skillet out of the cabinet, setting it on the now lit burner of the range. Grabbing some eggs and bacon out of the fridge, I grabbed a bowl to mix the eggs with a bit of cream, adding a couple cracks of pepper and a dash of salt. Waving my hand over the pan, I found it hot enough and poured my eggs in.

A bling sounded, saying that my phone had connected to my Bluetooth speaker. I unlocked my iPhone, opened the music app and pressed shuffle. "Sing" by Pentatonix began to play. I stirred the eggs tossed another pan on the other burner for the bacon. I clicked the burner on and waited for it to get hot. My dance moves got a bit more dramatic as I opened the bacon and dropped a few slices into the pan.

I danced a little more, and spun around. Halfway around, I noticed Anna leaning in the doorway. I jumped and accidentally dropped my turner. She was smiling warmly at me.

"Cute," Is all she said, still smiling at me.

I giggled and grabbed the turner off the ground, tossing it into the sink and grabbing another from the drawer, continuing to cook but without the dance moves.

Anna walked in and opened the fridge, looking for a moment before grabbing the milk and a bottle of chocolate syrup. I glanced at her and she stared at me for a second, before I pointed her to the cabinet with the glasses in it. She shot a smile at me. I turned the bacon and gave the eggs a stir, finding them done, and moved them to the back burner. I clicked off the burner and grabbed a straw out of the drawer next to me.

Anna turned around, "Do you have anything I can stir" She stopped short when she saw me holding the bendy straw out to her. "Do you always know what I'm thinking?" she laughed.

I gave a laugh too. "Not always," I said, turning back to the bacon, "I have no idea what you were thinking as you were running out of the bathroom this morning." I saw her give a small blush. "Or when you smiling at me from the doorway of the kitchen. How long were you standing there?" I asked.

"Long enough to see some of your dance moves," She shot a sly smile at me, "Ever bring those to a club?" She said jokingly.

It was my turn to blush, and I dropped a paper towel on a paper plate, setting the bacon on top so it would soak up the grease. "Hungry?" I asked grabbing two plates.

"Starved actually." She laughed walking over to the dining room table and waiting for me.

I slide a plate in front of her, and one in the spot I will take. I slide into the chair and slide a fork over to her. She instantly begins to dig in. Our contented eating sounds are all we hear for awhile. When she finishes she sets her fork on the now empty plate and sits back.

"Just eggs and bacon, right?" She asked out of the blue.

"Yes," I asked, confused.

"But they were so good! They can't be just plain eggs." She said incredulously.

"Eggs, salt, pepper, and a bit of cream, whipped together in a bowl and then cooked," I explained in length. I smiled at her as she shook her head.

"Cream? In eggs?" she laughed, "What is this, Top Chef?"

"That's just how I've always made them. They taste better that way." I said. She grabbed up the plates and the forks. Going to the kitchen, dropping the plates in the trash and the forks in the sink.

"Ready to head out?" she asked.

"Yeah!" I said, walking to the door and grabbing my shoes. I quickly slipped them on and tied them while Anna did the same. I grabbed my keys off the rack, opened the front door, stepping out and waiting for Anna to follow. She took a bit, almost falling as she hopped out of the doorway while trying to pull on her shoe.

I laughed and pulled the door closed behind her, locking it. I unlocked the car and Anna and I climbed in at the same time. Anna played around with the radio for a bit, before settling on the classical station again. "Becoming a classical fan?" I asked, glancing in her direction.

"What can I say," She said, "You've rubbed off on me." She smiled. I shook my head as my mind took that the wrong way.

We drove for a bit before pulling into the mall parking lot. It was surprisingly empty for a Saturday. I locked my car and we walked the short distance from my close spot, through the doors into the mall. As we stepped in, we got a whiff of the mall food, Cinnabon and Panda Express the most prominent. We wandered off to the left, and started looking through the windows of the shops. Soon Anna gasped loudly.

"Victoria's Secret is having a sale!" She exclaimed, trying to drag me towards it. "Let's go in! We can help each other pick out things!"

I gave in and let her drag me through the front doors. We're gonna spend a bunch of time picking out lingerie together? Deciding what would look best on each other? My mind flashed to what I saw last night and what Anna saw this morning, giving me a slight flush.

 _Good luck with this one Els, I hope you can handle it._


	6. Chapter 6

"What do you think of these?" She asked, holding up a pair of nearly see-through, lacey panties to herself. The only answer I could manage is a smile and clearing my throat. "Yeah, not really a fan either." She said, setting back in the table she had pulled them from.

Anna was having the time of her life, while I was here struggling to keep my dirty mind at bay. She kept grabbing things off the tables and holding them up to her. Every so often, I would grab something and show it to her, not really interested in the underwear, but more interested what she thought of them, and how surprisingly passionate she seemed about them.

As we neared a table in the back of the store we found clearance items. Anna and I sifted through, not really finding anything of not.

"These are perfect!" Anna said loudly, grabbing up a bra and panty set and holding them up. They were black with cyan lace that made patterns of swirls and snowflakes, small bits of white trimming and accenting some of the designs. I admired them briefly before smiling and nodding, Then, Anna put them up to me. "These would be awesome on you!" putting them up to me and looking me up and down. Anna began pushing me towards a dressing room with them, "C'mon! you have to try them on!"

I tried to resist but she was surprisingly strong and unsurprisingly stubborn. The lady at the dressing rooms smiled at us and handed me a card with a two on it, and unlocked the door. I stepped in and locked the door behind me.

Sighing, I began to undress, hanging the clothing onto the bench. Once I put them on, I turned and admired myself in the mirror. They were a bit snug, but fit well all things considered. The bra was supportive and the panties were soft. I smiled at my reflection. _Say what you want about Anna, she knows her stuff._

"How are they?" Anna asked through the door.

"They're nice!" I said back, beginning to change back into my clothes. I stepped out of the dressing room, fully clothed, and checked the tag on the two pieces of clothing. _Not bad, only $60_. I handed my card back to the attendant and smiled at Anna.

"Are you going to get them?" She asked.

"I think so." I answered her with smile, "Are you going to get anything? I feel a little weird buying a gift for myself."

"I'm ok," She said, smiling slyly at me, "You buying those is like a gift for me." She said, winking my way.

I felt my face redden deeply, creeping all the way to my neck. The attendant giggled at us. I carried them up to the front, feeling embarrassed for some strange reason. The cashier rang me out and slipped them into a bag, "Victoria's Secret" embossed on the side in gold. I laughed a little. _You're being embarrassed by buying things that literally every woman buys? Prude._ I smiled, that wasn't as bad as I expected.

"Hey! They have a sale too!" Anna said, dragging me over to yet another store. I followed willingly.

 _I already bought something, this shouldn't be too bad._ Anna kept bouncing between tables, grabbing different pairs of bra and panty sets, and by the end of it she had a whole armful.

"Any of this look good?" She said.

I glanced at the armful, unable to see any of them. "Yes?" I said unconvincingly.

"I'm gonna go try them on! Wait here," She said, pointing to the small bench as she headed to the far wall where the dressing rooms are.

I waited for a long while, sitting on the bench, trying to not make eye contact with anyone who walked by.

"Are you waiting for someone?" A store employee asked.

"Y-yeah," I stuttered, "my friend is over in the dressing room."

"Is your name Elsa?" She asked, smiling at me.

I stared at her, bemused. "Yeah, how did you know?"

She pointed in the direction of the dressing room. "She's been asking for you for a little while now."

I said a quick thank you and headed over to the dressing room. "Anna?" I said loudly so she would hear through the door. She pulled the door open suddenly, standing in the doorway, barely dressed. As I glanced over black with light pink lace that adorned her, I froze stunned, and missed everything she was saying to me. She looked at me for a second, expectantly. Before I could answer, she looked suddenly scared and grabbed me by my t-shirt, dragging me into the dressing room with her.

I stumbled and landed on the bench against the wall. I found myself sitting in the pile of her clothes. I sat for a second, surely bright red, as Anna stayed turned away from me, peering through the crack in the door.

She clicked it closed, leaning back against it and sighing, before turning back to me.

I could feel my jaw still hanging open and face still burning from my blush. She glanced over herself briefly, before looking back at me.

"S-sorry! She blurted out, as she began looking around for her clothes.

I grabbed the pile out from under me and handed them to her, looking away as I did. _Jeez Elsa, I know you were stunned but you were very much staring._ Shaking my head, I attempted to clear away my thoughts.

She changed back into her clothes, while I focused intently on the corner of the room.

"Hans is outside," She explains briefly. I glance in her direction finder her, mercifully for me, dressed. She was trying to peak through the crack in the door again.

"Are you scared of him?" I asked her.

She turned towards me, clearly faking bravado. "No," She says, her voice clearly wavering.

"Well do you wanna get out of here instead of hiding in a changing room?" I ask her cautiously. I watch worry flit over her face briefly.

She finally smiled at me. "You're right," She says, still clearly not confident, "let's get out of here." She grabbed up the clothes she was trying on and took a deep breath before stepping out of the dressing room door. "Anna!" Hans said loudly, clearly stunning Anna into silence.

As fate would have it, Hans was right there, waiting for his girlfriend who was in the next dressing room. "H-hey," she stuttered to him. I stood just behind her to her right, as she faced Hans.

He glanced down at the clothes in her hand. "Did you leave some clothes behind?" It was an honest question, but something about the way he said it almost sounded challenging.

"No," She answered quickly, "Just looking at something new."

"And is this your newest mark?" He said glancing at me, "Already found someone to leech from?"

I watched as Anna balled up her free fist. I reached out and grabbed her hand, stepping up to her side. "I'm just a roommate." I said, butting in.

"Trying on lingerie together, holding hands," He said, his voice annoyingly confident, "Must be on hell of a roommate." I blushed hard, seeing the situation from his perspective, but refused to let go of Anna's hand.

 _Please Anna, don't punch him in the face again._

Hans continued to push around. "And the way you seem to cling on to her, you must be easy." His word stung a lot more than I thought, but I stayed silent. Anna didn't.

"Fuck off, Hans," She spat at him. He just smiled in response.

I glanced at her, seeing the anger and defensiveness in her eyes. _She's almost scary._ I could feel her hand loosen and then hold onto mine. I could feel it shaking slightly. _She's scared, too._ I tugged on her hand in the direction of the register. "C'mon," I said softly, "We have fun to get to." I gave my best attempt at a smile.

She glanced at me, and back to Hans. "Smell you later, Hans." She said snidely then turned, and tugged me along towards the register.

She had a firm grip on my hand as we walked up to the register. She dropped the clothes she had down onto the counter and began to think. With my free hand, I grabbed out my wallet and slipped out my card. Anna tried to protest but I refused.

The cashier smiled at us, calling us cute. I gave a smile back, thanking her, and taking back my card. I handed Anna the bag, and we left, doing our best to ignore Hans' smirking face.

We wandered into the food court and sat down at one of the far tables.

Anna squeezed my hand. "Thank you." She said softly.

"No problem." I said back. I let go of her hand and turned around. "Do you want to get something to eat?"

She glanced around, still clearly trying to resist the urge to cry. _He really gets to her. I can't tell if she's sad, scared or mad._ "How about PandaExpress?" she said finally.

I smiled, "What do you want?"

"Just the bowl with fried rice and orange chicken." She said, giving a small smile back.

I squeezed her hand before getting up to go grab food. I ordered us both the same thing and grabbed us both a chocolate milk and chopsticks. When I sat back down, she seemed to be in better spirits. Especially after I slid her bowl and chocolate milk

"Thank you," She said, with an earnest smile.

I shot a smile back and reached for my chopsticks, cracking them apart and popping open my bowl. I scooped up a bite and had almost lifted it to my mouth when I looked at Anna. She had her chopsticks held awkwardly in her hand. She was struggling to dig her chopsticks in and scoop the rice with them. I stopped and smiled at her.

She looked at me. "You know staring might be considered rude." She said jokingly.

"Sorry," I said half-heartedly, "sometimes I can't help but stare when you're being cute." I blushed a little as I said it, but knew I meant it. _Flirting now Elsa? Maybe there's hope for you yet._

To my surprise, she blushed a bit too. "Well now were both blushing, Happy?" She said with a mock pout, "I'm gonna stop fighting these sticks and go grab a fork."

I smiled to myself as she walked away. _Good job salvaging the date Elsa._ I laughed to myself a little at the thought. Hans was right a little. It did look like were on a date. We were shopping together, eating lunch, and I guess got very close in the dressing room. I let out a sigh. "Maybe a date isn't a bad name for it," I said quietly to myself.

"Who's going on a date?" Anna said, appearing next to me suddenly. My blush was nearly audible as she sat back down, fork in hand.

"uhh," I was struggling to get words out, she had surprised me. Before I could put my brain back together, she gave a little laugh, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze.

"It doesn't have to be a date just because Hans said so." She said, trying to be comforting.

"I know," I said.

"It could be if you want," She said, giving a little wink. I played it cool and took a drink of my milk. "If it goes well maybe I'll get lucky."

Her comment caught me off guard and I nearly spit out my drink. Instead, I ended up choking on it. As I was dying a quick death of chocolate milk and embarrassment Anna was laughing.

"You sure are cute when you get flustered." She said through her laughing.

"Shut up," I said, faking a pout.

The rest of the meal was finished in good spirits. No talk of the confrontation at the store earlier or what it was all about. Soon we sat back, satisfied, with smiles on our faces.

"So," I started after a long silence, "Do you want to head home or keep shopping?"

She thought for a second. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead let out a yawn. "I think we should go home," she said with a laugh.

I laughed in agreement and gathered up our trash. After walking over and dropping the trash in the bin, I headed back to the table, where Anna had already grabbed our bags. I lead the way to my car, feeling thankful for my close spot, and popped open the bag hatch for Anna to load the bags.

We hopped in and I turned the car on, leaning back in my seat, feeling surprisingly tired. The clock on my dash read 4:13. _We spent a lot more time in there than I thought!_

The drive home was quiet aside from the classical station, playing softly. Every so often I would glance in Anna's direction as I watched her lean against the door and drift in and out of sleep. Her periods of sleep marked by soft snores that would disappear whenever she woke up, and disappear again when she drifted off. Smiling to myself, I hummed along with Moonlight Sonata, and drove home slowly. The drive was enjoyable, so there was no need to rush.

I pulled into the driveway and parked, turning the car off and waking Anna with a gentle nudge. I grabbed the bags from the back, as Anna followed me to the door tiredly. I set the bags down by the door and slip off my shoes.

Anna kicked off her shoes and curled up right on the couch. Giggling softly to myself, I grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and laid it over her. She gave a little smile and snuggled into it. "Thanks, Els." She whispered softly.

I dropped myself into the recliner, kicking out the footrest, and leaning back as far as I could before letting out a long yawn.

I closed my eyes and briefly thought of how Hans was accusing us of being a couple. A sexually involved one at that. I ignored the blush that tried to come over me, and laughed to myself, choosing to think instead of Anna when she dragged me into the dressing room.

 _Maybe Hans' ideas aren't so bad._

*Author's Note*

Hey guys! Sorry that the new chapter took so long. Now that I am writing for myself I will never again complain when my favorite writers take a while to update. The winter break laziness hit me hard! Hope this one brings you some happiness!


	7. Chapter 7

I stirred from my sudden nap, and glanced over at the couch. Anna was awake and scribbling in a notebook. I smiled and gave a big stretch, groaning as my back popped. _This chair is comfy for sitting but not great for sleeping._

Anna gave me a smile when I looked back, her scrawling slowing down a little.

"What are you drawing?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing." She said, closing the notebook and setting it on the end coffee table. "Did you have a good nap?" She asked, her smile still on her face.

I rubbed my neck. "I definitely slept hard," I said with a laugh. Pulling my phone out, I checked the time. _Geez it's already almost 7._

"Me too," She said, leaning back into the blanket which was still draped over her shoulders. "Thanks for this by the way," she said, giving a tug on the blanket.

I nodded, and got to my feet. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna change."

After getting to my room, I shut the door and pulled off my clothes. As I took off my bra, I let out a sigh. _Now it feels like I'm home._ I pulled on some sweatpants and a comfy sweater. The sweater was old and a little stretched out, so the collar hung down off my shoulder on one side. I quickly braided my hear and let it fall over my covered shoulder. After a big stretch, I headed back out to the chair in the living room.

I plopped down into the chair and grabbed a book off the table next to it. I saw that Anna had her notebook back out and was sketching in it again, more studiously than before.

"Do you like to draw?" I asked probingly.

She gave me a smile. "Only if I'm interested in what I'm drawing," She said, "that's why I'm terrible in art classes but love sitting around sketching."

I went back to reading my book and we sat quietly for a while, both happy to be done with the day. After a chapter I placed my bookmark back in and set it on the table, leaning back into my chair.

"Is this what your weekends are normally like?" Anna asked.

"The sitting and reading?" I asked. She responded with a nod. "Yeah, they are usually this boring." I said with a little laugh.

"I was thinking it was nice," She said, leaning back into the couch and setting her sketchbook back on the end table. "I tend to just always be going out on the weekends and then school on the weekdays."

"The quiet is nice." I said softly, sighing and closing my eyes. I listened to the blood rushing in my ears for a moment before letting out a yawn. "What should we do now?" I asked.

Anna thought for a second. "We could watch a movie? Or play a game?" She said, "I'm not good at choosing." Suddenly her face lit up with inspiration. "Drinking games!"

 _What?_ I gave her a confused look for a second. "With two people?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah!" she shot a smile at me. "We can watch a movie or a show and play a drinking game! It makes lots of movies way better."

 _I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but what's the worst that could happen?_ Giving a smile back I answered, "Sure, let's do it."

"So, what do you have to drink?" she said, giddy with the idea.

"I'm not sure." I stood and headed into the kitchen and began digging through the cabinet. _Solana? Looks like tequila. Gin, and something pink in the back. Kinky? Interesting name for flavored vodka._ I set each bottle on the counter as I checked them.

"Nothing says drinking games like middle shelf tequila." Anna said, coming up next to me and picking up the bottle off the counter. "Do you have any limes?"

"I have a couple in the drawer in the fridge." I said, pointing towards the bottom.

Anna grabbed them from the drawer and then began to shoo me away. "I'll cut these, wanna move to couch in front of the TV for me?"

I headed out to the living room and pushed my recliner to the side against the wall. I could hear Anna opening and closing cabinets in the kitchen. "In the rack, next to the sink," I said loudly, smirking. The sound of the cabinets stopped as she found the cutting board she had been looking for and I went back to moving furniture. I carefully dragged the small couch over to the center of the room and straightened the table in front of it.

Anna came out holding the tequila in one hand and a plate of sliced limes in the other.

"One of these days I'll figure out where stuff goes." Anna said, chuckling as she set down the plate on the coffee table. She twisted the cap and took a sniff of the tequila. "Mmm, smells like bad decisions."

I laughed, and set out the shot glasses.

"So what should we drink after we finish the bottle?" She asked while pouring.

I gave her a shy smile. "I confess, I'm a bit of a lightweight. I haven't gotten drunk in a long while."

She smirked, a devilish glint in her eye. "Oh, I am so gonna win this game." The shots she poured were dangerously full, nearly to the brim. "One to kick us off?" she said.

I nodded. We both tossed back our shots and bit into a lime. Anna set her glass down and dropped the lime into it casually. I, on the other hand, set both down and coughed a little. "God, that's strong."

Anna laughed. "lightweight indeed." She added with a wink.

We scrolled through the movies trying to match one with a suitable drinking game. After about 15 minutes and a "kickoff" shot later, Anna gave up.

"How about we try a different game?" she said.

"Like?" I said, raising my eyebrow at her.

"We can ask questions?" She's clearly making this up on the spot. "And every time you ask a question you take a shot, and if you don't want to answer a question, you have to take a shot."

"Sure!" I agreed reluctantly, "I may have no idea what question to ask, but I can try?"

"Sweet!" She said, pouring herself a new shot. A smirk came over her face and she tossed back the shot. "What's your deepest, darkest secret?"

I blinked wide eyed at her.

Suddenly, she burst out laughing. "Of course, that's not my real question." She poured two new shots. "How about… Do you have any siblings?"

This question started off the conversation, my worries of overly personal questions quickly melting away. We discussed for a long while, each others' families. We had both lost a parent young, Anna her father, and I my mother. Anna's mother has had a few boyfriends since then but nothing too serious, whereas my father had remarried a few years after. My new stepmom and I got along well, but I could never get past the feeling that she isn't my real mom.

It wasn't until we had started to drift off topic that I realized how much of the tequila we had finished.

"A-are we halfway through the bottle?" I asked, only now feeling the warmth in my face and the spinning.

Anna picked up the bottle and looked at it. "That's a little more than half," she said with a laugh. "Are you feeling it?" I waved my hand around, feeling like it was moving slow. _Oh god, I am such a lightweight._

"um, yeah I am definitely feeling it."

"Do you want to stop?" she asked, considerately.

"No, I'm ok. It's just not a feeling I'm used to anymore." I said with a laugh. Anna smiled and poured us a new set of shots.

"When was the last time you got drunk?" She asked, looking at her shot before drinking it.

I thought back trying to remember. _That would probably be my breakup._ "Um, well I think it was after my boyfriend broke up with me… wow, that was almost a year ago now." _Boyfriend? Lying now Els?_

"That bad?"

I thought of that day, and the exact words she used, wincing. "Yeah… that bad." I picked up my shot and drank it. "Now I can look back on it and say that drinking the way I was, wasn't the best way to deal with it." I said with a laugh. "Do you drink often?" Anna gave me a strange look. Only then did I realize the way that came out and I stumbled over myself trying to correct it. "I-I don't mean like you're an alcoholic or anything I just mean do you like drinking?" If my face wasn't already red from drinking, this blush would be the darkest yet.

She gave me a smile. "I don't really drink." She said, pouring another set, "I also had a bout with destructive drinking. This is the first time I've drank for a good reason since then." She threw a smile my way, a warm and honest smile which I couldn't help but return.

I grabbed my shot and held it up, Anna following suit. "This one is to you Anna, for making drinking fun again." We clinked our glasses, spilling a bit, before tossing them back. I leaned against the arm of the couch, and noticed Anna's sketch book. "May I?" I asked reaching towards the book.

She seemed to ponder it for a second before shrugging and nodding. I flipped through the pages seeing sketches princesses, crowns, ball gowns, and a reindeer? The next few pages had different types and shapes of eyes. The next page had a full page sketch. It was of a girl in a chair. She was pretty, her features almost elven, with a delicate bone structure. Her neck was slender and the sweater she wore hung off of one shoulder. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were slightly parted making her appear asleep. The shading on the face showed that she had taken a long time with great care to try to get it right. Down in the bottom corner, in cursive was a name. "Elsa." I said the name out loud. I blinked for a second, followed by a blush. _Am I really so drunk that it took me this long to realize it was me? That is literally what I am still wearing from my nap earlier._

I looked at Anna. "This drawing is amazing." I said to her, looking back and forther between her and the drawing, "You made me look beautiful."

She chuckled to herself. "I don't think that drawing quite does you justice." She glanced over me briefly. "especially right now." The look in her eyes as she looked me over was confusing. She looked almost far away but the way she stared, inflected an emotion I couldn't quite put my finger on. _Lust seems like a close word to me._

I tried to shake away the thought, but noticed her leaning towards me. Moving closer and closer until her face was so close to mine I could feel her breath against my lips. Her eyes were focused on my lips as well. "A-A-Anna?" I stuttered. Her eyes peered into mine, and she seemed to come back into the moment. She jerked her head away suddenly, wide-eyed.

"I… I'm s-sorry." She was starting to tear up. I began to reach for her but before I could she got up and ran off to the room mumbling 'stupid' under her breath the whole way before slamming the door closed behind her.

Meanwhile, I sat there breathless after realizing the entire time I was watching her inch closer I had stayed perfectly still, holding my breath. My face was burning both from the alcohol and the almost kiss I just had. Not thinking clearly, I grabbed the bottle of tequila and drank what was left of it, the burn strong in my throat. I coughed after it had all gone down.

 _What in the hell just happened?_

Having no answer to my own question I curled up on the couch and closed my eyes. Maybe tomorrow when the alcohol had worn off, some of this would make sense.

Authors note

*Well hello there! I am so incredibly sorry for the long break I ended up taking, and I am happy that I was finally able to put together a chapter for you guys. I truly hope this something you guys still look forward to reading. :)

As always, criticism is welcome and necessary. I always strive to be better.*


	8. Chapter 8

I stirred from my sleep with a groan, stretching out across the rest of the couch. The throbbing in my head reminded me that we drank last night. _Well, you drank a good bit miss 'finish this bottle, that's a good idea.'_ A blush came over me as I remembered why I did that. _Anna was so close to me._ The thought of Anna's breath running over her lips brought on a shiver.

I took a glance at the clock as I stood up. 5:43am. I left the living room table exactly the way it was and headed into my room. I closed the door behind me with a click and knocked on the bathroom door. After not hearing anything I headed in.

The tile was cool on my feet as I walked to the medicine cabinet to find some Ibuprofen. I filled a small cup with water from the tap, and took the two small pills with it as I crossed the bathroom and made sure the door to Anna's room was locked. Soft snoring was barely audible from the other side.

I walked over to the bath, turned on the hot water, and started digging in the closet next to it for the bath salts I had somewhere. _Thank god, it's a Sunday. I would be a mess going to class like this._ I added in some of the salts and set the container on the side of the bath. I removed my clothes, setting them neatly on the counter, glancing at the door to be sure that I locked it. I turned the knob on the sink and splashed some cool water on my face, the throbbing in my head not dulling at all. _I hope it's not like this all day._ I pulled the hair tie out of my hair, and unwove my braid, letting the hair fall over my shoulders.

I went back over to the tub and turned off the faucet. The water was steaming and I was already looking forward to how much better I would feel. I dipped my hand in the water and moved it around, making sure that no remnants of the salt remained before stepping in. The water was a little too hot, but bearable. _Anything is better than this headache._ I sank into the water until it was up to the bottoms of my ears, relishing in the warmth it cast over my body. A long yawn escaped my mouth and I closed my eyes. I began thinking back to last night. The drinking was going fine, I hadn't blurted out anything weird and wasn't having too much trouble with basic motor function. A memory of the drawing came to the forefront of my mind. I remembered it in detail. From the curve of the chin to the long, dark lashes cast over the cheeks. _It was a beautiful drawing; do I really look like that?_

I stretched, the chilly air of the bathroom did not bother me too much, but it helped emphasize the feeling of warmth as I lowered my arms back into the water. In the quiet of the bathroom I could hear Anna, still snoring gently in her room. _Funny how natural this seems. I just met this girl two days ago and somehow, I am completely at ease with her._ My memory of her leaned in close, breath washing over my lips, the pounding in my chest I had ignored and the burn of my lungs wanting air jumped in to prove me wrong. _Well, mostly at ease with her._

What was she thinking about? Her eyes were distant, yet so focused on my lips. A shudder passed through me, despite the hot water all around me. _And a lot of good you were Els, you didn't seem like you were going to say no._ A blush washed over me, all the way to the tips of my ears. _You've got me there_ , I thought to myself, before rolling my eyes. _And you're talking to yourself again._

I lowered myself a little farther into the water, letting the water cover my ears and wash out what little sound there was this morning. I let a long while pass, content to soak in the silence.

 _I'm going to have to get some answers from her today about what happened last night._ _Carefully as I can._ The throbbing in my head was still present but dulling from the warmth of the water and the ibuprofen kicking in. The water had cooled down to a reasonable, warm temperature. I pushed up out of the water a bit and let out a yawn. _Guess I better finish up. Maybe I will lay down and see if that helps any._

I grabbed a loofa and poured some body wash on it before rubbing it over my skin gently. The sensation was relaxing. I spent extra time rubbing in my shampoo and conditioner, the massaging feeling soothing to my throbbing head. After a quick rinse, I undid the stopper on the tub drain and stood up, grabbing one of the clean, white towels off the small, metal shelf that hung over the faucet end of the tub. Wrapping the towel around me, I stepped out onto the mat and began to dry off, rubbing small circles across my skin with the towel, before wrapping it around my hair.

I quickly grabbed my stack of clothes and set my hair tie on top, taking the whole pile with me to unlock Anna's door before hurrying over to mine and into my room. I pulled on a fresh set of clothes; a comfy pair of sweat pants, a t-shirt, and a warm pair of socks.

I crawled on top of my neatly made sheets and sprawled out on my back. I could see the first bit of sunlight peeking through my window shades and birds beginning to chirp. Laying there, images of a resting woman with long, dark lashes resting on her cheeks and lips, full and inviting. I could feel the small blush wash over me. _Is that how Anna sees me?_ Flashes of Anna's eyes, distant yet somehow also focused on me, entered my thoughts causing the small blush to grow deeper.

I need some coffee.

I walked out into the kitchen, loading a filter into the machine before spooning in the coffee grounds. The smell of the grounds was pleasant. I set the pot in the sink under the tap as I turned it on, allowing it to fill, before taking it and pouring it into the reservoir. With a press of a button the machine began to heat, starting its brew cycle.

I took this time to finish getting ready. After a trip to the bathroom, a hairbrush through my hair, completing my signature braid and some tooth brushing later, I was ready enough for a day at home. I could still hear Anna's snores, a little louder than earlier, through the bathroom door. The sound brought a smile to my face. _At least she seems to be sleeping well._

I went back to the kitchen and poured myself a coffee with peppermint creamer and snuck in a small bit of chocolate syrup. I took my drink to the living room, taking a small sip, the perfect mixture of sweet and bitter washing over my tongue. I set my mug down on the coffee table before opting to clean our mess from last night. Putting the unused bottles back, the empty one in the recycle, the limes and plate in the trash, and wiping the table down with a rag to remove any remaining mess. I pushed the furniture back to its original position, transferring my mug from the coffee table to the end table next to the recliner. I plopped down into the chair, satisfied with my brief cleaning, and took another sip of my drink. I reached for my book that was off to the side, but instead grabbed Anna's sketch book. My fingers twitched instinctively. _I can look again, right? There's nothing wrong with that?_

I could still hear Anna faintly from down the hall, still asleep. I bit my lip, feeling a bit guilty, but continued. I flipped through the pages again to the sketch of me, taking advantage of the solitude and clear vision, this morning brought to study it in detail.

I noticed new things about it today. How my brow was furrowed, as if I was deep in thought or dreaming about something. There were a few small stray hairs that had fallen come loose from my braid. _It was more realistic than I gave credit for._

Anna's snores had stopped, and I heard her the shower in the bathroom start. A muffled "Ack, Cold!" could be heard from the bathroom. I smiled to myself, the memory of the glimpse of her through the gap in the doorway flashed through my head again. I rolled my eyes. _I swear that image will never leave me alone._

I closed the book and set it back on the end table, trading it for my coffee cup. I took another drink and sighed contentedly.

I could already feel that I would be exceptionally nervous around Anna today. Not that it would make much difference from how I am around her normally. It would still make it tough to focus on whatever we chose to do. I hadn't noticed that the shower had turned off, but in the silent house, I could hear Anna now shuffling around in her room. _Well, there's no point in making things more awkward than they need to be._

I stood up, making my way into the kitchen and poured a mug of coffee for Anna. After adding creamer, I added the same custom splash of chocolate to her drink as I did to mine.

A knock on the entry way to the kitchen broke the silence, and my train of thought. I turn to find Anna standing the doorway in jeans, a tee shirt, and her hair in her signature braids. _Can I call them signature?_ I've _only known her a couple of days now._

"H-Hey," I stutter out.

"Good morning," she replies with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes instead were trying to convey something I found unreadable.

"I made you a coffee," I turned and grabbed it off the counter, carefully holding it with both hands, before walking it over to her. As I handed it off to her, she didn't avoid the contact at all. She practically caressed my hand as she took the cup from me. I tried to swallow but my throat was dry.

"Thank you," she cooed, a crooked smile crossing her lips.

 _What the hell?_ My brain struggled to keep up with this totally new attitude. I cleared my throat. "you-you-you're welcome." I stuttered out, walking back to the counter and taking a long sip of my coffee. She sighed and walked over to lean against the counter next to me. She bumped her hip against mine.

"I'm sorry about last night." She said suddenly. I glanced up at her, and she had a very serious demeanor. "I got kinda lost in my head and probably made you uncomfortable."

"I was actually more concerned. You almost seemed like you were in pain." I said giving her worried glance.

She gave a small, breathy laugh. "I guess you could say that." She was staring down at her coffee intently.

"What was it about?" I blurted out, "I-If you don't mind me asking." A couple of unsure glances between me and her cup followed.

"I tend to get a little bit flirty when I drink." She laughed lightly, "and if I hadn't run away and hid in my room when I did, I probably would have tried to kiss you." Her words set off butterflies in my stomach, even though it wasn't really a revelation. _Anyone with half a brain could have told you that Els._ "I'm sorry I kinda ruined the night."

"You didn't ruin it," I said, smiling at her, "I had a lot of fun last night." A smirk crossed her face. "What?" I gave her a confused look.

She shook her head, "Nothing important, just a funny thought. So, what are your plans for today?"

"Umm.." I thought about it for a moment, "Probably going to work on the presentation I need to do for my marketing class. What about you?"

"I've got to work later, but I have a bit before then." She said, obviously not very excited about it.

"Work?" I asked, surprised, "Where do you work?" _It's not that surprising that she works Els._

She gave a small smirk and laughed to herself a bit glancing down. "I actually work at that coffee shop on campus," she looked up at me. "I had applied there recently, and they just hired me this week."

I smiled at her. "Congratulations! Maybe I should leave the coffee making to you." I lifted my cup up at her and we both smiled. _There, her mood seems to be improving._ "Maybe after you've had some training you can make me the perfect café mocha?"

"I may be able to make one for you now," she said with a smirk, "After all, you do like them just like I do. Extra chocolaty." With that she took another sip of her extra chocolaty coffee and sighed. "Though I think we have the advantage here. Your coffee is clearly no generic roast like I imagine we will use at the coffee shop. School funding generally doesn't find its way to buying high grade coffee."

"Southern Isles Dark Roast. My dad is close friends with the CEO of the corporation, so my dad gets a good discount on it." Anna was giving me an incredulous look, a small smile on her lips. "What?"

"Here you are, daughter of a wealthy CEO, befriending a vagabond like me and rooming with me." The look of affection she gave me was so sincere I could not help but blush and look away. She took a sip of her coffee. "So.." She paused for a moment and I went to take a sip of my coffee, "What do you think of girls?"

Caught off guard I sputtered on my coffee for a second. "G-girls?" I stuttered out. _Is she implying what I think?_ I glanced up in her direction, but her eyes were trained on her coffee, her index finger scratching along the rim of the cup nervously.

"Yeah, like dating or whatever," she still avoided eye contact.

 _I like them a lot._ "well I.." _Go ahead Els, Tell her. Why shouldn't you? Don't conceal it._ Memories of her dad's voice from when she was younger plaid briefly through her head. "No," _liar._ "I'm not.. not into girls." _Why do you lie to yourself?_ The look on Anna's face was confusing. Disappointment, worry, and a tinge of hope all together in one look. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, the silence was deafening.

"Just curious," She turned and looked at me again, a smile graced her lips but it didn't reach her eyes. "Well, I've got to take off!" She downed the rest of her coffee and rinsed out her cup.

"Do you want a ride?" I said as she headed out to the couch and began slipping on her shoes. I slide my mug on to the counter.

"No, I'm gonna catch the bus, I'll be fine." Her words were short and quick as she finished slipping on her shoes. _Way to go Els, you lied to her and now look at her._ She got up and moved towards the door, patting her pockets and making sure she had everything. She paused when she reached for the door knob, and instead turned to me, a sincerer smile on her face.

"Got everything?" I gave her a questioning glance.

"Yeah," She reached up and fidgeted with the end of one of her braids, looking down at it. "I'm actually a bit nervous."

I fixed her with the brightest smile I could manage. "You'll be great I'm sure!"

"You think so?" she looked me in the eye and couldn't help but smile back. "Thanks, I actually feel a bit better. Wish me luck!" She turned back to the door, pulling it open and stepping out.

"Good luck!" I said after her as she started to jog to the bus stop at the end of the block. She waved back and once she was farther down the road, I shut the door. I walked myself over to the couch and plopped down, my hands coming up to fidget with the end of my braid. _What's the point of lying to her Elsa? Why didn't you just tell her the truth?_

I closed my eyes and let my head fall against the couch. "In my line of work, the way I seem to others means everything, do you understand Elsa?" She could almost hear her fathers voice. "I don't mean to put a great deal of pressure on you Elsa, but the things you do will reflect on me as well; I need to you to be mindful of this family's reputation."

 _If he really wants what is best for you he will want you to be honest about this, with others and with yourself._

With I sigh I got up from the couch and headed towards my room, that presentation wasn't going to write itself after all.

*Author's note*

*Well here it is guys, another chapter after all this time. I'm sorry for my absence. It just became so hard to write and handle adulting at the same time. Thanks to rereading A Snowflake in Spring and all the wonderful fanart I've been getting on my Tumblr dash, I felt I needed to come back to this. For myself and you who read and enjoyed what I had so far.

I hope you enjoyed this new addition, and I aim for there to be more to come soon! As always, reviews and constructive criticism are welcome and appreciated!*


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